Monday, January 5, 2015

Paraguay All-time 23 member team

Paraguay 1998

Paraguay won the Copa America in 1953 and 1979. They went to the World Cup Final in 1930, 1950 and 1958, but they did not make a dent in the Finals. In 1986, the Albirroja reached the second round of Mexico 1986. They qualified for the Summer Olympics in 1992, where the code of the team became a Golden Generation. They qualified for France 1998 and reached the second round at the Finals. However, they were eliminated by eventual champion and host France with a golden goal at the 114th minute. That team was known for its strong defense. They would qualify for the next three World Cup Finals.

If
there were an All-Time World Cup, this would be the 23 players I would
bring to the tournament.

TeamGK: Jose Luis ChilavertKnown
for his free kicks, he was an icon of his generation. He was South
American Player of the Year in 1996. Against Argentina in a WCQ in 1997,
he promised to score a goal before the match and he did score one. He led Paraguay to the round of 16 at both WC Finals in 1998 and 2002.
He won 12 club titles, including the 1994 Copa Libertadores and the 1994
Intercontinental Cup, whilst playing for Vélez Sarsfield.

He was also a member of the Paraguayan team that won the 1979 Copa América. During the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, Fernández started for Paraguay in all four games. He stopped a penalty kick from Mexican Hugo Sánchez to hold the host team to a 1-1 draw. He earned the nickname "El Gato" (The Cat) for his outstanding stretching saves. His son is also named Robert Fernandez and has capped by Paraguay as a keeper.

GK: Ever Hugo AlmeidaBorn in Salto, Uruguay, but became a naturalized Paraguayan in 1975. Played with Olimpia for nearly two decades, setting a record for being the player with most appearances in the Copa Libertadores with 113, from 1973 to 1990, winning the tournament on two occasions (1979 and 1990).

RB: Francisco ArceArce was a part
of the great defensive unit of Paraguay in 1998 and 2002. Arce started his career in Paraguay playing for Cerro Porteño, where he won the national championship on three occasions. He then moved to Brazil where he played for big clubs such as Grêmio and Palmeiras. He won the
Copa Libertadores in 1995 with Gremio, but he spent much of his career
with Palmeiras.

RB: Juan ToralesHe played for the Paraguayan squad that won the 1979 Copa America. He joined Libertad in 1981 and played for the club until 1991.CB: Juan LezcanoHe was a member of the historical Olimpia team that won five Paraguayan league championships in a row, from 1956 to 1960 and reached the final of the Copa Libertadores in 1960, where Olimpia lost against Peñarol. Soon after in 1961, Peñarol signed him and became one of the key players of the that helped Peñarol win several national and international championships.

CB: Carlos GamarraWidely considered a top defender in South America during his peak years. He played in Paraguay, Brazil, Greece, Italy and Portugal. He is the most capped player in Paraguayan football history. He
was named as the Paraguayan Footballer of the Year in 1997 and 1998,
and was also included in the 1998 FIFA World Cup Team of the
Tournament. He also went to World Cup Finals in 2002 and 2006.

Carlos Garmarra

CB: Rogelio Delgado He played
for Olimpia, where he won the Copa Libertadores and Intercontinental
Cup in 1979, and six Paraguayan league titles. He also played for
Independiente of Argentina and Universidad de Chile. He was a
member of the Albirroja at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico.

CB: Celso AyalaHe was a part of the great defensive unit of the Paraguayan national team during the 1990's. He was capped 86 times and was among the most capped players for his country. For club football, he played in Spain, Brazil, Argentina and of course, Paraguay. He was known for his spell with Club Olimpia and two spells with River Plate. He won Copa Libertadores for both clubs.

He won the Copa Libertadores in1995 with Gremio and another title in 1999 with Palmeiras. He was a member of the great defensive unit of Paraguay in the 1990's.

DM: Modesto BríaHe began his career with Nacional. He went to play for Flamengo in Brazil between 1943 to 1953. He won three Campeonato Carioca with them.

CM: Hugo TalaveraHe won the 1979 Copa América with the national team. For his club career, he won three national championships in a row with Cerro Porteño before joining Olimpia in 1975. He won the CopaCopa Libertadores in 1979 and 7 more league titles with them.

CM: Manuel Fleitas SolichHe began his career with Nacional. He was remembered with his career with Boca Juniors in Argentina between 1927 and 1930. He was the team's captain as they won the league title in 1930.AM: Saturnino ArrúaHe won 4 league titles with Cerro Porteño before he joined Real Zaragoza in 1974. He spent 6 seasons there. He was capped 27 times between 1969 and 1980.AM: Julio Cesar RomeroHe
was considered the best outfielder in Paraguay's history. He earnjed 32 caps. He led Paraguay to qualify for the WC in
1986. He was South American Player of the Year in 1985. For domestic football, he played for many clubs, but his two most famous stints were with NY Cosmos and Fluminense. He was a big idol with the Brazilian club.

Romero

FW/RW: Luis Vargas PenaHe was the captain of Paraguay at the 1930 WC Finals. He also scored their first goal. He was one of the greatest Paraguayan footballers before the War. ST: Aurelio GonzálezHe is one of the greatest football players of Paraguay, considered by many
as the second best player behind Arsenio Erico. He started his career with Sportivo Luqueño and then moved to Olimpia of Asunción where he spent
the rest of his career winning several championships, most notably the
three consecutive national championships in 1927,
1928 and 1929.

ST :Roque Santa CruzHe is the all-time leading scorer for the Albirroja. He spent 7 sesons with Bayern Munich before moving to England and Spain. He played at the 2002, 2006 and 2010 World Cup Finals, he also participated at the 1999 Copa América, 2007 Copa América and the 2011 Copa América, where Paraguay finished as the runners-up.

He started his career with Club Libertad before moving to Barcelona FC in 1956.
He led the team in scoring in three seasons (1956–57, 1957–58,
1959–60), obtaining two Spanish League titles, two Copas del Rey and two
Inter-Cities Fairs Cups.
Martínez also became a part of FC Barcelona's history by scoring the first
goal ever at their current stadium, Camp Nou, in 24 September 1957.

ST: Cayetano RéFrom
1959 to 1972, he played in Spain, notably for his three seasons with
Barcelona. He won the Pichichi award for the season 1964-1965. He went
to the 1958 WC finals in Sweden. ST Delfin Benitez CaseresHe
played in the 1930 World Cup Finals. For his club career, he was best
remembered for his 7 seasons with Boca Junior. He is widely considered
to be the best ever foreign player in Argentina. He also played once
for Argentina.

ST: Arsenio EricoHe
is the all-time highest goalscorer in the Argentine first division,
with 295 goals, all of them scored with Independiente. He is considered
the best Paraguayan footballer of all time. He was Alfredo Di
Stefano's idol.